Sunday, March 30, 2014

Silly Song Sunday!

Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner
Eating his poor mother’s pie.
He stuck in his thumb—
And Mum struck him dumb:
Children! said she, with a sigh.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

a new GAIL GILES novel!

We add with delight that Gail's first review— GIRLS LIKE US pubs May 28— is . . .  drumroll . . . a PW *STAR*. We love Gail! (And PW.)

Gail Giles. Candlewick, $16.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-7636-6267-7

Following graduation from their high school's special education track, two girls become wards of the state and are placed in an apartment where they live independently and cook and clean for their neighbor/employer, an older woman named Elizabeth. Sharp-tongued and aggressive, Quincy is defensive about her learning difficulties and the physical scars left by the source of her brain damage, "when my mama's boyfriend hit my head with a brick." Sensitive Biddy, who describes herself as having "moderate retardation," overeats to mask past traumas, which include having given up her baby. Giles's (Dark Song) background teaching special education students informs this blunt, honest, and absorbing story about two young women overcoming challenges that have less to do with their abilities to read or write than with how society views and treats them. In short, alternating chapters, the girls narrate in raw and distinct voices that capture their day-to-day hurdles, agony, and triumphs. The "found family" that builds slowly for Quincy, Biddy, and Elizabeth-with no shortage of misunderstandings, mistrust, or tears-is rewarding and powerful. Ages 14-up. Agent: Scott Treimel, Scott Treimel NY. (June)

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

from BAD SCHOOL, a Collection

"Show and Scold"

Suzy stood for show and tell
And raised an empty hand.
After sixty seconds passed 
Teacher said, "Expand."
Suzy, stupefied, wondered 
What could she do more?
So to save her presentation
She stared straight down at the floor.

Teacher wagged her finger
And said "Suzy, you have failed,"
Whereupon beleaguered Suzy
Took her seat kerplop! and wailed.
"Oh, ho!" cried crafty Teacher,
Who then heaped on praise galore.
Suzy, Teacher said,  
Showed the class the perfect bore.

KA-RAZY FUNNY JULIE STRIKES AND SCORES!


Here is one of our fav-fav-favs of the season, not pub'g until Apr 8 but is available for pre-order. We implore you to shell out seventeen smackaroonies. You will delight again and again at this lovable family's going-on. WE ADORE THIS BOOK! so much so we are posting outside the lines.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

A Full-Novel Workshop!

We love discovering talent! And we are open to new clients. So we were sad to close STNY's open-submission chute. We pledged to step-up our participation in public programs, to be at least a little accessible. Soooo...
Attention Intermediate and Advanced Novel Writers!

Scott Treimel is joining Knopf Associate Publishing Director Melanie Cecka at the 2014 Pacific Coast Childrern's Writers Workshop and Retreat in October. This is a super intensive weekend workshop. Hardcore critiques are promised! Craft cultivated! Techniques taught! AND guess what— the whole shebang is smack dab on the Santa Cruz-Monterey Bay!

Silly Song Sunday!

"The Queen of Hearts"

The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts
All on a summer's day.
The Knave of Heart
He stole the tarts
And took them to Bombay.

He hawked the tarts
From ox-drawn carts,
Which locals thought plain loopy—
That kind of sweet
We do not eat—
How can he make a rupee?

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Introducing ERIC SAILER

We discovered Eric at an SCBWI conference in New Jersey a couple years back. Since, we have worked (and worked and worked) (Eric has too) to develop his craft. Eric's ability to convey movement— not particularly evident in these pics— is what struck us, in addition to our simpatico sense of humor.

Of interest, we should think, to prepub'd creators, was Eric's reaction to our initial critique. He was astonished by the exactitude we demanded in his work. It was not the first time a new client

was startled to learn how very, very high the bar is set at the big houses we work with. (Why the big houses? Because they pay more and have money, if they choose to spend it, to promote their books.)

Now, as Eric is teetering on the brink of formal STNY submissions (pretty exciting for us!), we want to share him with our discerning readers. These pictures are from what we decided to consider a warm-up project, LARRY BEAR AND MARY.
  

TEA PARTY RULES.... RULES!

And we are not talking about the creepy Tea Party— not them! We mean Ame Dyckman's TEA PARTY RULES, illustrated by K. G. Campbell, where cookies (not wrongheaded hegemony) motivate the action. The book is apolitical: we clarify the title only for the opportunity to impugn the anti-intellectual "party" sabotaging the country— they probably can't read, anyway.

So, today's lesson: Don't be dumb! Read TEA PARTY RULES!

MONKEY ONO by J.C. Phillipps

TEA PARTY RULES by Ame Dyckman





Silly Song Sunday!

The Three Little Pigs
In the tale of the Three Little Pigs
We study straw, wood, and brick digs.
Would you not rather care
To learn how they dare
By mere chinney, chin-chin thingamajigs?

Thursday, March 13, 2014

The thing about a blog is. . .

. . . you have to keep posting and posting or people will not, need not, ought not visit. But then those longing for our insight, humor, or their own spiritual awakening— yes, our hungry public, YOU, well, you would be left wanting. We dare not neglect our friends. We dare to care!

So, um, for today then. . . um. . . how about this dusty old riddle probably used before, making us a party bore. (Rhymes are a-poppin today.)

Q: Where do publishers buy their Oxfords? 
Or, to put it differently,
Q: Where do editors buy their Espadrilles?
A: At Simon and Shoestore.

Ta-dah.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Joyce Carol Oats, our hero

Here it is, right from the master's keyboard. 

Nothing in the world— the universe! the history of the world! is as influential and downright brilliant as ALICE IN WONDERLAND. But good lord, do not try it at home. And if you do, certainly do not submit it to us! ALICE IN WONDERLAND cannot be topped or even half-equalled. If anyone can name even a weak challenger, we want to know. Talk among yourselves. Questions? Comments?

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Silly Song Sunday!

There was an Old Woman
Who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children
She didn’t know what to do.

In fact, she had two.

Great big brats
The Old Woman had.
They vexed her and perplexed her
And they drove her fairly mad.

They tell us she beat them
And sent them to bed—
Not that she woke up
Next day with no head!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Tweet Inbetween

Helen Zax wins* an STNY phone convo!
 Don't you wish you had tweeted inbetween?

*See Feb 7 post

Love this pic!

From Julie Phillipps, crack-up extraordinaire.
Who does not think this is funny? No one!


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